Former student activist Bajram Kosumi replaces Ramush Haradinaj, who resigned as prime minister earlier this month after he was indicted for war crimes.

Mr. Kosumi is a close associate of Mr. Haradinaj.

Mr. Kosumi needed 61 votes for the post. He received 71 votes in the 120-seat parliament.

His government is expected to lead the disputed Serbian province into talks with the United Nations on its future status.

Mr. Haradinaj resigned to defend himself against charges of war crimes allegedly committed during Kosovo's war against Serb forces in the late 1990s. He has since surrendered to the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague.